#tsukuba mountain

[madpaule]

And we arrived at the Bamboo forest.

Tzvetelina sweating it out.

[madpaule]

One of the many Gems in Tsukuba is the Miyasei-Okura. It is not only a concert hall for musicians but a small museum in Itself with rare Antiques.

Another beautiful Old house which hosts concerts and plays.

Going back to the cottages.

[madpaule]

Textures of Tsukuba

A place which instantly inspired to work and fell good. So much positive energy of the calmness and harmony of colors. With abundance of Flora and fauna, you can not close your eyes to the beauty. They get sketched into your mind as field notes.

[madpaule]

Explorations

Days went by doing the site exploration for the artwork and feeling the place.

It seems Agnes has marked her territory. But everyone is Welcome.

[madpaule]

Tsukuba Art Center - Arrival

The journey and the art process starts as soon you step out and start executing in your head and much before you start executing it with materials. Then it may take 2 hrs, two days, two months or even twenty years. Sometimes that processing and the process become more important and interesting than the execution. It is very important to absorb the environment so that you can extract the context and find the right subject and then justify, not to anyone else but at least to yourself.

Documenting for me is a not a linear mechanical process. I like emotions, textures and the right aesthetic. Isolating the subject entirely kills the context for me. It lacks the stories, character and gives you a superficial image of the social environment. And yet i like my documentation to stand interdependently with a unique identity and individuality.

Nature based Artist from different countries were Invited by Tsukuba Art Center to be the  residents at Tsukuba Mountains, Ibaraki, Japan, with directional support from Mr Takashi Ikezawa ( Curator/Director ), Ms Mitsuko Shinohara ( Producer ) and Mr Masaru Yamada (Technical Director), they created art works during this time using the most of the material and inspiration from the mountain itself. This is the documentation of what was seen and what was felt, what was observed and absorbed. This is my art.

[madpaule]

Living at  Fureaino Sato

We stayed in these beautiful, Japanese style wooden cottages at Fureaino Sato. It is a popular picnic place during the weekends for the people who wish to Trek the mountain and people who enjoy Bar-be-Que with family and friends.  

Mornings...

...and nights.

One thing which was common was Delicious food prepared by Shinohara san.. Sometimes artists took turns in preparing food to add different flavors. 

Takashi San and Shinohara San

Ahem. Post lunch break with Chris.

Map for trekking Mount Tsukuba.

Beware of Mamushi ( Japanese Pit Viper ). I wasn't lucky enough to encounter it.

Hetty in a Vintage Kimono.

Miyamoto San - The Bar-be-que man.

Nights were different. Chirpy, musical and a total contrast to the calm mornings. But still the best of the characters and stories would come out at night.

One Woman Army - Ms Mitsuko Shinohara

Mr Takashi - The man who kept the fire on and made it all Possible.

Back to work and calm mornings with Valeria

[madpaule]

Going to the Bamboo forest

All of us drove to the nearby forest to collect Bamboo, the prime material for most of the artists, which gave us the first glimpse of the Tsukuba Landscape and life.

Ushio San driving us to the bamboo forest. 

[madpaule]

Following the Procession to Tsukuba Shrine

Franziska following the Procession. 

The Procession to Tsukuba-san-jinja